School Visit Program
Mini Museum Program
After School Program
Empire State Partnership Program
Teacher Training Workshops
Gallery Location
KIDSDAY - June 10, 1999
KIDSDAY Schedule
The Rotunda Gallery is a not-for-profit visual arts organization that provides exhibition opportunities and services for Brooklyn-affiliated artists. Since 1984, its Education Program, has been instrumental in introducing contemporary art to thousands of New York City school children through school visits, museum outreach programs, in-school and after school learning experiences.
School Visit Program
Schools groups visiting the Rotunda Gallery use the gallery as their classroom. Exhibitions are the inspiration for individualized lessons, which include informal discussions and hands-on art making projects incorporating the exhibiting artists' ideas, materials, and/or methods. The following exhibitions are represented in KIDSART:
Interpreting examined the curatorial process, revealing how choices are made and how work is categorized into a coherent whole. Students explored a variety of stylistic approaches to the curatorial process then conceived and planned their own exhibitions based on the works in the exhibition.
Seeing Money investigated the subject of money, exploring its physical presence, social connotations and symbolic implications. Included in the exhibition was sculpture, painting, photography and site-specific installation. After drawing from the exhibition, students employed exhibition artist Tom Otterness's rubber molds to create their own cast plaster pennies.
Zone of Risibility looked at the use of wit and humor in contemporary art. Students worked in the collage method of exhibiting artist Brian Mukerjee to create their own humorous works of art.
Formulas for Revelation explored spirituality in our technological and media-saturated culture. Using a variety of rubber stamps printed on card stock, students then formed three- dimensional cubes sculptures inspired by Alex Kim's Protean Cubes.
Mini Museum Program
The Rotunda Gallery's school outreach program, Mini-Museum, integrates art instruction with school curriculum through a series of gallery visits and classroom lessons, and culminates in the creation of a mini-museum or installation project in the participating school. Student learn about contemporary art, meet working artists, create artwork in a variety of media, and learn about museum practice.
P.S.17, Williamsburg: With artist/educator Kate Chura students studied and classified the plant and animal life in near-by Grand Ferry Park. The students created cast cement mosaics depicting images from their research. The completed stones will be installed in the break-front at Grand Ferry Park where they can be enjoyed by the entire Williamsburg community.
P.S.102, Sunset Park: The mural at P.S. 102, was designed to celebrate the Bay Ridge community. The mural was created by a small group of fifth graders working with Gallery artist/educator Alex Exposito. The project began with students taking photographs of the neighborhood. Using an opaque projector the images were transferred to large tracing paper, and then arranged on the canvas much like photos might be laid out on a table for viewing. The completed mural is currently on display in the school auditorium.
P.S.105, Sunset Park: Two mini-museums were conducted in P.S. 105, where artist/educator Andrew Christman, worked with fourth graders to investigate music and artmaking in cultures around the world. In preparation students created scroll panels on this theme. These images were combined and refined into two 40' outdoor murals which are still in progress.
P.S. 108, Highland Park: Students worked with artist/educator Barbara Neulinger to create mixed media paintings depicting flags and typical scenes of students' countries of origin or a region they were studying. Students from eight 3rd and 4th grade classes created his or her own small painting which was then combined to create the final "quilt paintings".
P.S. 170, Bay Ridge: Third graders working with artist/educator Alex Exposito are in the final stages of completing school-yard mural capturing children at play. The mural depicts the earth as a giant playground, with a representation of the school and children at play. Students created preliminary sketches with school art teacher Mary Lou Gladstone. Elements from the preliminary drawings were pieced together to form the final dynamic image.
P.S. 176, Dyker Heights: Inspired by the 5th grade social studies curriculum, students working with artist /educator Barbara Neulinger explored several ancient Mexican myths. Each student chose a character he or she wanted to portray as a puppet. Puppets were created with paper mache which was later painted, adding details to bring life to their characters. Finally, students sewed bodies for their puppets by cutting out shapes based on a template, and sewing them together, leaving space at the bottom for their hands. Some participating classes painted scenes from the tales, currently on view in the school auditorium.
P.S. 179, Kensington: Fifth graders worked with artist/educator Andrew Christman researching artistic styles in connection with the school history curriculum including ancient Greece and the Italian renaissance. Classes also researched examples of Brooklyn architecture influenced by these periods. Students created scrolls, books, drawings and kept notebooks during the research phase. The project culminated in a three panel 30-foot contemporary mural inspired by their research.
P.S.277, Gerritsen Beach: Participated in three Mini Museum programs. In September students grades K-6, teachers, staff and parents from the entire school worked with artist/educator Sharon Epperson to continue a marine life murals on an exterior wall of the school building. Inspired by Marine Park Creek, which runs behind the school, students from third grade classes worked with artist/educator Hawley Hussey to paint depictions of the creek both past and present. With artist educator Kate Chura students studied and classified the plant and animal life immediately surrounding the school. The students cast mosaics of water formations, then continued the piece by sculpting birds and plants from metal rods and wire. The completed installation will be placed in the garden where they can be enjoyed by the entire community.
I.S. 49, Williamsburg/Bushwick: Students worked with artist/educator Scott Pfaffman in the planning, fabrication and installation of a fully functional Mini-Museum in the school. Pfaffman's concept for this Mini- Museum project was inspired by the exhibition designs of Charles and Ray Eames and by the writings of Walter Benjamin. Working closely with both Pfaffman and school art teacher Mike Kaye students will plan, research, create and install an exhibition based on a selected curriculum topic. The grand opening will be held in June 1999.
I.S. 300, Bushwick: Gregory Goulbourne, Darryl Oxendine and David Kirkland workeded with artist/educator Stephanie Hightower to expand on their environmental science studies about the rainforests of the world by creating a permanent installation in the school lobby. The students made a scale drawing of the site and planned their composition, solving problems, such as how to incorporate a door, two windows, hardware, etc. into a rainforest. The students, graduating next month and heading to the High School of Art & Design, used their very fine drawing skills with tempera painting and stenciling.
Empire State Partnership Program
P.S. 174, East New York: With support from the New York State Council on the Arts Empire State Partnership Program, the Rotunda Gallery has developed a collaborative arts education program with P.S. 174 in East New York. This museum/school collaboration will expand over a four-year period to serve the entire kindergarten through 5th grade school population with a comprehensive arts program focused on the visual and literary arts, bringing contemporary visiting artists and writers to the school.
Working with artist/educators Bushra Gill and Millie Burns, 2nd and 3rd grade students engaged in a wide range of artmaking projects. To emphasize the value of reading and literacy, many lessons focused on artist's books, including Egyptian scrolls, Chinese slat books, and Ethiopian wish books. A second program focus was the Community Success Garden adjacent to the school, where students found a source of inspiration in nature for their large batiked silk banners. A collaborative public art piece composed of individual Tibetan prayer flags was on view in the garden throughout the spring.
Working with artist/educators Andrew Christman and Millie Burns, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students engaged in a wide range of artmaking projects. To emphasize the value of reading and literacy, many lessons focused on artist's books and special visits with literary artists, Melanie Hope Greenberg and Lindamichelebaron. A second program focus was the community Success Garden adjacent to the school, where students found a source of inspiration in nature for their public sculpture designs. School curriculum focusing on Native American culture in New Your State served as the basis for several mask making projects and puppets making as well as a multi-media performance done in collaboration with the school music teacher.
Teacher Training Workshops
Community School District 32, Bushwick. All workshops included discussion and study of art historical and multi-cultural references, a hand-on art making component, vocabulary and student-appropriate materials were discussed, as well as a question and answer opportunity allowing participants to delve further into materials, methods and/or references. Visuals (actual work, slides, printed images or posters) were viewed and discussed in all sessions. On display are a number a samples of the broad range of projects created by participants working with artist/educator Andrew Christman in the workshops: including drawing and painting, printmaking and bookbinding.
Special Topics in Art and Design Education/Museum Education taught by Meridith McNeal Rotunda Gallery Director of Education, offered through the Art and Design Education Department at Pratt Institute used the Rotunda Gallery as its classroom. This class introduced students to the field of museum education. As a class assignment students read, then responded in a short written text with a hypothetical lesson plan based on Lawrence Weschler's Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder; Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast and Other Marvels... In a group discussion the class created a single lesson. Each student brought in an object (created or found) and wrote accompanying label text. The objects were then exhibited to the class without identifying labels or text, and the class created a second set of labels. On display are the objects and both sets of labels.
The Gallery is also conducting professional development workshops training teachers in the visual arts in Community School District 14, Williamsburg; Community School District 19, East New York ; and at P.S. 108, Highland Park.
The Rotunda Gallery Education Department
Meridith McNeal, Director of Education
Emily Cloak, Gallery Assistant
Instructors: Millie Burns, Andrew Christman, Kate Chura, Sharon Epperson, Alex Exposito, Stephanie Hightower, Hawley Hussey, Barbara Neulinger, Scott Pfaffman, and Jane Wolff
Interns: Elizabeth Genera, Christopher Joy and Manivone Phiavong
The Rotunda Gallery is a project of BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture. The Gallery is grateful to the Chase Manhattan Foundation, Con Edison, the Independence Community Foundation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President and the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute for Museum Services, and the Friends of the Rotunda Gallery for their support of the Education Program.
Special thanks to Guillermo Torres; Fabrication, Richard Dennis, owner; 3D Construction, Randy Palumbo, president and Richard Brackman for there assistance on the Mini Museum project at I.S. 49, Bushwick.
Refreshments for the KIDSART reception courtesy Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Drawings by Lisa Peet
Gallery Location
LOCATION: 33 Clinton Street in Downtown Brooklyn
PHONE: 718-875-4047
HOURS: Tuesday-Friday / noon-5pm
Saturday / 11am-4pm
SUBWAY: A, C trains to High Street
2, 3, 4, 5 trains to Borough Hall
June 10 - June 26, 1999
Meridith McNeal, curator